Esiason Honored as ACC Legend

Maryland Athletics

12-7-2013

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Former Maryland standout quarterback Boomer Esiason was honored by the Atlantic Coast Conference on Saturday as a member of its Football Legends Class of 2013 in a ceremony at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte for the ninth annual Dr. Pepper ACC Football Championship.

Esiason also received recognition during the ACC Night of Legends event held Friday evening.

A two-time honorable mention All-American (1982, 1983) and three-year starter from 1981-83, Esiason led the Terps to a perfect 6-0 record in the ACC in 1983 to claim the school’s first conference title since 1976 and a spot in the Florida Citrus Bowl. That season, Esiason and the Terps won seven of their first eight games to climb to seventh in the nation, while Esiason threw for a school-record 2,322 yards.

A member of the ACC’s 50thAnniversary Team, Esiason broke several offensive records during his time in College Park including completions, touchdowns and yards. Over three seasons, Esiason completed 461 of his 850 passes for 6,259 yards and 42 touchdowns, and still ranks second all-time in touchdowns, and third in attempts, completions and yards.

During his junior season in 1982, Esiason threw for 2,302 yards and a school-record 18 touchdowns to lead the Terps to an 8-4 mark and a 5-1 record in the ACC, one win shy of the conference crown, to finish the season ranked 20thnationally earning an invitation to the Aloha Bowl. Esiason led an offense that averaged 31 points a game, the highest average for a Maryland team since 1951.

Esiason played 14 seasons in the National Football League spending 10 seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals in two stints. In 1988, Esiason earned league MVP honors and was named an All-Pro. He was also named to the Pro Bowl four times.

In 14 seasons in the NFL, Esiason completed 57 percent of his passes for 37,920 yards with 247 touchdowns.

The native of East Islip, N.Y., is currently a studio analyst for The NFL Today on CBS, is a color analyst for WestwoodOne’s radio broadcast of Monday Night Football and co-hosts a long-running and top-rated morning radio show, “Boomer and Carton,” on WFAN the Fan in New York City.

In 1993, after his son Gunnar was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, Esiason created the Boomer Esiason Foundation, which has raised in excess of $100 million to fund research to find a cure for the disease of the respiratory and digestive systems. In 1995, he was honored with the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year Award for his community service.

Esiason is Maryland’s final member of the ACC Football Legends. The Terps transition to the Big Ten in the 2014 season.